Florentine flask



Dec. 22, 1942. E; PRATI 2,305,896 FLORENTiNE FLASK Filed- Aug. 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. [NR/co PRA 1-1 /5' BYW ATTORNEY Dec. 22, 1942. PRA 2,305,896

FLORENTINE FLASK Filed Aug. 4, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 V II I Il 'IN VEN TOR. ENE/ c o PEA 7-/ BY Ar A- Patented Dec. 22, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLORENTINE FLASK Enrico Prati, Asti, Calif.

ApplicationAugust 4, 1941, Serial No. 405,315

8 Claims.

This invention relates to wine bottles having the lower portion covered with a jacket of straw, rush, or the like and which are generally known as Florentine flasks.

The objects of the invention are to provide an improved construction in such flasks whereby this type of flask can be more cheaply produced and the resulting flask will have a better supporting base. Specific advantages of the construction and manner of carrying it out will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved flask shown before covering with straw and with part of the supporting base broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the supporting base or collar.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of Fig. 2 seen from the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig, 4 is a sectional view of a portion of a supporting base like that of Fig. 3 but showing a variation in the form of its outer surface.

Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the manner of applying the straw to the flask while revolving between the centers of a lathe.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view showing the body of the flask as finished with its supporting base, straw covering, and tie straps.

Fig. '7 is a bottom view of the finished bottle of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detached View of the flat needle or anchor plug which holds the end of the straw strand tucked under the straw wrapping.

Fig. 9 is a portion of the lower part of the flask and base partly in section showing the straw covering on both the base as well as the flask body.

Fig. 10 is an exterior view of a portion of the base showing a still further variation of its external formation from that shown in Fig. 4. a

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a flask attached to its base and with the side straps applied before the straw winding.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a straw covered flask completed from the showing of Fig. 11.

Fig. 13 is a bottom view of Fig. 12.

Before describing the drawings in detail it may be stated that heretofore such straw covered Florentine flasks have, insofar as is known, been made entirely by hand and the supporting bases also entirely woven of straw, and which fact often resulted in the bases not being rigid enough,

also lopsided, and unless great care was used the straw wrappings would sometimes become loosened. In my improved construction I preferably have the glass bottles or flasks made with the usual reduced lower end, but with projecting lugs or other means for interlocking it firmly with a ring-like supporting base made of plastic or other material, and to which base I attach a long strand of preferably braided or twisted straw or rush, flax, dried grass, or paper rope or cord, and revolve both the flask and its attached base while holding and guiding the strand until the desired covering is effected, then secure the loose end as by tucking it between the wrappings and the body of the flask with a flat needle or anchor plate or otherwise. After this, vertically positioned side straps of straw or the like, or ribbons are applied and which pass through specially provided slots in the supporting base. Or the side straps are applied to the bottle first, the straw wound around the bottle covering the straps, and the upwardly extending ends of the straps are brought down over the outside of the straw covering and tied under the base of the flask.

In the drawings the glass flask is designated 1, the separate supporting collar or base 2, the

twisted straw or grass strand 3, the straw covering in place on the flask 3', the final end anchoring plug or needle 4 and the vertical straps 5.

The bottle or flask is preferably of the tenpin or elongated fig shape, of greater diameter less than midway of its height as indicated at X and is molded with a relatively small flat base I with two or more small laterally projecting lugs 6, and preferably also formed in the glass adjacent its base is a short screw thread I indented into the glass and of a size to receive and guide the twisted straw strand for winding about the bottle.

The separate supporting base 2 takes the form of a ring or collar preferably with downwardly outwardly flaring walls as best indicated in Fig. 3 and with a depressed socket 8 to receive the lower portion of the flask and forming a circular flange 9 with a central opening, downwardly through which the reduced base I of the flask extends and with its lugs 6 locked under the flange 9. Openings II] are provided in the flange 9 to pass the lugs 6- When applying the supporting base 2 and the flange 9 is made of increasing thickness to the right of each opening III as indicated at 9' in Fig. 3, so that after the bottle has been posi tioned. in the ring and the ring or bottle given a quarter turn to the right, the two members will be tightly drawn together, the arrangement constituting in efiect a mutilated thread.

Passing through the upper wall of the ring 2 are one or more holes as at I I for anchoring the starting ends of the straw strand, and also formed through the upper wall of the ring are preferably four slots l2 to receive the vertical straps or ribbons 5.

The needle or anchor plug device 4 if used may be made of metal, plastic, or bamboo, and is a short flat wedge with a hole l3 in it to receive the strand. One end is preferably somewhat pointed and thinned to a knife edge, at I 4 and the other end blunt so that it may be pushed under the straw wrappings. In the showing of Fig. 12 the anchor plug is not used.

In wrapping the flask with the straw strand, one end of the strand is passed downwardly through a hole I! in the ring 2 and a knot tied in it as at l5 to prevent withdrawal, and with the assembled flask and ring rotated, as by being mounted between cupped centers l6-I1 of a lathe, the strand 3 is fed to the rotating flask under tension in a manner to wind tightly around the flask, preferably until somewhat over the largest diameter. The lathe is then stopped, the strand cut and threaded through the needle slot and the needle 4 pushed between the straw wrapping and the flask, as with a small flat screw driver, until the plug or needle is entirely concealed as indicated in Fig. 6.

In wrapping the strand about the flask, a light brushing of the bottle with any adhesive, such as glue, or better shellac in alcohol, or other varnish, before applying the strand, will insure it against accidental displacement.

Instead of wrapping with a single strand, it is evident that two or more strands may be used, either threaded through one starting hole or from the opposite holes ll shown in the drawings in Fig. 2, or any number of holes.

Also, instead of starting the strands at the upper line of the supporting base ring 2, the strand securing hole for the strand may be at the lower edge of the ring as indicated in Fig. 9 wherein the strand securing hole is a slot II passing through the lower edge of the ring so that threading of the hole is dispensed with as the knot l5 may be tied in the strand before slipping the strand in place. With this arrangement as shown in Fig. 9 the strand 3 covers the outer sides of both the ring as well as the flask.

With the outside of the ring 2 formed in simulation of the straw covering as shown at 2' in Fig. 4, or 2" in Fig. 10, and the ring made of a material substantially the same color as the straw winding, the effect of the straw extension base is more easily obtained. The base may be made of any contrasting color if desired.

When the straw covering is completed any dethe various parts of the finished job will always stay firmly in place even with rough handling. The advantages of an application of a touch of varnish holds equally good for the locking lugs 6 which hold the ring to the flask. The short threads I at the lower part of the flask further tend to prevent slipping and overlapping of the strands at this point where the tendency to slip out of place is greatest. This thread may also extend over the base if desired.

Also to be noted is, that preferably a carrying string or loop is provided as shown complete at E8 in Fig. 12 and which is secured to the straw covering as by looping the string under two or three coils of the straw covering and through the upper turned down ends of the straps or hands 5 as indicated at IS in Figs. 6 and 12.

Instead of bringing the straps 5 upward over the outer side of the straw covering as shown in Fig. 6, the straps may be made longer and be first applied to the flask before applying the straw winding as shown in Fig. 11 and wherein the straps 5 pass through the slots I2 in the base and cross over (as shown in Fig. 7) and then extend clear up along the neck of the bottle and to which they are temporarily held by means of one or more rubber bands l9 as shown in Fig. 11. After this the flask is wound with straw to the desired point (XX in Fig. 11) and after this the portions of the straps extending above the straw covering are folded downwardly against the outside of the straw covering, again passed through the slots I2 in the base 2 and the diametrically opposite free ends 5" are drawn tightly and tied together as indicated at 20, as shown in Fig. 13.

By the variation shown and described for Figs. 11 to 13 the coils of straw or other material 3 about the bottle are held down so that they cannot work upwardly to become separated. The flnal end of the strand 3 is made to terminate close to one of the straps 5 as indicated in Fig. 12 and preferably a long pin 2| is pushed down through the fold in the strap 5 and through several of the strand windings as indicated to insure the final end being permanently flxed in position.

The looped cord carrying handle l8 may also be made of twisted grass, rope fiber, paper, or other material as described for the straw covering and while two main runs of it l8 extend generally upward from the straw covering 3', other runs 22 are given a turn or two about them as well as about the neck of the bottle as indicated at 23.

In using the words straw or straw strand herein and in the claims, it is understood to embrace such a strand whether made of straw, dried grass, flax, rush, fiber, paper, small rope, or any other material suitable for the purpose;

Having thus described my invention and some of its possible variations, what I claim is:

1. A Florentine flask, a separate sup-porting base screwed to the lower end of the flask by cooperating means provided on the flask and base, and a straw winding strand secured to the base and wound around the lower portion of the flask body in a direction to prevent unscrewing of the flask from the base in normal use.

2. In a straw wound Florentine flask of the character described, circumferentially spaced retaining bands extending upwardly over the outside of the straw covering and looped over the topmost straw winding and thence downward again behind the covering and a rope-like carrying loop extending upwards above the straw covering, with the lower ends of the loop rope passed through the upper looped ends of said retaining bands.

3. In a structure as set out in claim 1, an opening in the rim of the base into which the end of the straw strand passes and is secured against withdrawal.

4. In a structure as set out inclaim 1, an opening in the rim of the base into which the end of the straw strand passes and is secured against withdrawal, and a starting spiral seat for the straw strand depressed into the surface of the flask.

5. A Florentine flask, a separate supporting base screwed to the lower end of the flask, and a straw winding strand secured to the base and wound around the lower portion of the flask body in a direction to prevent unscrewing in normal use, said base being of open collar form having as inwardly extending upper margin and downwardly extending central socket provided with a mutilated thread, and the lower end of the flask provided with a downwardly projecting bottom portion to fit into the socket, and a cooperating lug to engage the mutilated thread of the collar.

6. A base for aflask comprising a collar-like ring formed with a i e-entrant upper margin providing an upper annular wall and an open socket surrounded by the re-entrant edge, said open socket provided with a mutilated thread member adapted to receive the complementally formed lower end of a Florentine flask, and

openings in the margin of said collar adapted for receiving a straw strand and tie bands.

'7. In combination with a straw strand covered Florentine flask of the character described, a separate supporting base secured to the lower end of the flask, and the outer surface of said base formed with ridges in simulation of said straw strand covering.

8. In a straw wound Florentine flask of the character described, retaining bands circumferentially spaced about the bottle extending upwardly under the straw covering and looped over the topmost straw winding and thence downward again against the outerside of the straw covering and with the final ends of the bands tied across the lower end of the flask with the lower ends of similar bands of the opposite side of the flask, a hollow collar-like base secured to the lower end of said flask, and said bands being extended through slots in said collar and the tied ends positioned within the hollow of said collar.

ENRICO PRATI. 

